Deadly Plunge Into East River Was 3rd Crash in 11 Years for NYC Helicopter Company

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When a Liberty Helicopters chopper plunged into the frigid East River on Sunday night, onlookers were stunned. But it was actually the third time in 11 years one of the company’s helicopters crashed in New York.

Liberty Helicopters describes itself as “the largest and most experienced helicopter sightseeing and charter service in New York City,” with a fleet of 10 Airbus helicopters. But it hasn’t said much about the latest crash, deferring to federal authorities.

“We are focused on supporting the families affected by this tragic accident and on fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigation,” the company said on its website. “These agencies have asked us to respect the investigative process by referring all press inquiries to them for any further comment.”

Here’s what we know about the company’s previous two crashes since 2007:

2009: Crash with another plane kills 9 people

A total of nine people were killed, including all six on board the helicopter and three on the private plane.

Three months after the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration tightened control of the airspace, separating low-altitude local aircraft flights over the Hudson River, such as a sightseeing helicopter, from flights transiting through the river airspace, such as the private plane.

2007: Helicopter crashes into Hudson River

All passengers were wearing inflatable life vests, and the pilot said she deployed pop-out floats, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The helicopter made an emergency landing in the water.

Neither the pilot nor the seven passengers were seriously injured.

The pilot in the New York City helicopter crash told investigators that one of the passenger's bags may have inadvertently hit the emergency fuel shutoff button, causing the fatal crash, a senior law enforcement official said https://t.co/Dstls7IKqBpic.twitter.com/ZEaI8PRRvE